We Can Fix The Economy, We Just Have To Want To w/ Labor Economist Kathryn Anne Edwards

The number one issue for voters heading into November 3rd is the economy. The cost of everything is too high. Groceries, gas, housing, healthcare. Inflation is outpacing wages. And most of the economics coverage sounds like it's in a foreign language by design. Kathryn Anne Edwards is a labor economist, Bloomberg columnist, co-host of the Optimist Economy podcast, and one of the clearest translators of people-focused economics working right now.  This conversation is about what's actually broken and what actually fixes it. Kathryn explains why the COVID recovery was the fastest in 50 to 70 years and what it tells us about what government can do when it tries. She breaks down the three separate problems that get lumped together as "the cost of living": the safety net we aren't maintaining, the investments we aren't making, and the crisis tools we only deploy when it's too late.  She explains why universal public healthcare is not radical, it's math: one in four Americans has medical debt, private health insurance is distorting the labor market, and a third of every state budget already goes to Medicaid. She explains why childcare at $2,000 a month in major cities is an economic policy failure that has a known, tested fix. She explains why unions are the single most effective tool ever identified for reducing economic inequality, backed by a Princeton study in the most prestigious economics journal in the country. And she explains why bringing manufacturing jobs back without unions is not a jobs policy at all, because manufacturing employment peaked in 1979 and has been automated ever since. The episode ends with Kathryn's argument to conservatives: You've had 50 years. You got everything you wanted. Deregulation, tax cuts, ending cash welfare, cutting benefits. If your policy was going to fix it, it would have by now.  Kathryn Anne Edwards **PROMO CODES:**  **Join the SaySo News App!** SaySo is a brand new news app built for people who actually want to be informed, not just keep scrolling. No outrage-chasing algorithm, no AI slop, just vetted creators delivering fact-driven coverage you can get through in a few minutes a day. I'm one of the early creators on the platform, posting there alongside others I trust. Check it out and download SaySo **This episode is in non-paid partnership with Vote.org.** Midterms are November 3rd, and your voter registration may not be as solid as you think. Moving, a name change, or routine list maintenance can take you off the rolls without you noticing. Vote.org is free and nonpartisan. In about two minutes, you can check your registration, find your polling place, see your state’s deadlines, or request a mail-in ballot. Check now at Vote.org, then go vote. 0:00 The number one issue heading into November: everything is too expensive and here's why Grant brought in an economist 2:58 Meet Kathryn Anne Edwards: Labor economist, Bloomberg columnist, Optimist Economy co-host  4:10 Are we Wile E. Coyote or the Road Runner? 5:00 The safety net nets: what government can do when it tries and why the COVID recovery was the fastest in 70 years 6:42 The three separate problems: safety net we aren't maintaining, investments we aren't making, crisis tools we only use in emergencies  8:25 “How confident are you in those nets?” What two years of cuts to Medicaid and SNAP actually mean 11:22 The cost of living isn’t just groceries and gas: housing at 7% mortgage rates, healthcare, education, the dream receding 13:08 Healthcare: one in four Americans has medical debt, a trillion dollars in tax preferences, and a fix that’s been running for 60 years 15:00 Universal public health insurance explained: why states get a 30% budget hole they can spend on local problems 16:40  Childcare: $2,000 a month in major cities, childcare deserts everywhere else, and a fix that’s already been tested 18:00  “You just hit the good government button and start solving problems”  the economic Stockholm syndrome 20:00  Why the minimum wage is $7.25 in Texas and McDonald’s has iPads anyway: the automation threat was always a lie 23:07  Unions: the single most effective tool ever identified for reducing economic inequality, backed by a Princeton study 25:09  Manufacturing jobs peaked in 1979: why bringing them back without unions is not a jobs policy 28:18  The service sector jobs that can never be exported and why making them good is the actual policy:  **AD 30:41  Vote.org: check your registration before November 3rd** 31:32  The two lies: women and immigrants taking your jobs, and cheaters on Medicaid taking your benefits 43:48  What they’re not saying: JD Vance can’t defend the cost of healthcare so he talks about fraud instead 46:37  The Battle of Newburgh, the welfare queen, and why this poison has always been in the water 53:58  Medicaid cuts are an attack on men: substance use disorder treatment and who actually uses it 55:33  “The death rattle of conservative economic policy”: 50 years, everything they wanted, and here we are 58:38  The argument to conservatives: you’ve had your runway, you got everything you asked for, it’s not working 1:01:00  Grant gives grace to the people following these leaders, even when the leaders are lying Support the show **Follow along on social media**  SaySo: @GrantHermes  X: @GrantHermes Insta: @Grant\_\_Hermes Tiktok: Grant\_Hermes